The Job Posting Page
25 September 2020: I have an opening!
I am busy!
Need a designer to support me, for bouncing ideas off, etc. but mostly to execute actual UI and specification work. By “designer,” I mean a UX designer. My work is generally end-to-end, but just design. From IA, to UI, with some graphics and icon creation, with some usability research. But mostly for now I just need a UI/IxD helper.
Work will start immediately, so is less fun and casual and learn-on-the-way than usual. Ideally:
You agree with me on design philosophy and methods, so I don’t need to over-explain, or even negotiate what I need from a design. Not sure who I am? Go to the writing section, read a few articles. Go to the speaking section and find a presentation video, as that’s what I talk like sorta all the time.
You know InDesign. Other tools, great also. Certainly some Illustrator and Photoshop work, some other tools (XD, InVision…) but most of the stuff taking way too much time is currently in InDesign. I hate having to make a tool a requirement, but I have no time to train up and revise documents, so this time really need someone who is really good at that, immediately.
Attention! To! Detail! Not typos, not misaligned stuff, no ignoring document layers or file system organization, and most of all not doing just some of the tasks assigned. Take notes, check them off when done, and be done well with minimal need for correction.
At least at first, most of what I need is literally someone to execute design I have scribbled, or described in bullet lists, in documentation, and some exporting of resources and stuff. These will are be for existing design specs, so there’s lots and lots to borrow from, in style, components, or process.
Over time, of course, we’ll add to it, and you can learn the domain and the technology of the client orgs, then help conceive of the ideas develop architectural solutions, help with usability research, and more.
There’s no need to talk to clients! Maybe later, but not now. And nothing else like an expectation you go find more client work to pay your way (if you do… fine, and you get a cut). Just the design work.
Of course it’s online
I haven’t hired people to work in an office with me for… a decade? More? It’s not just the pandemic, it’s just the way the world works now I think, and gives me more opportunity to find different people. I work from home, in the Kansas City, Missouri area. That’s Central time US (GMT -5), but I have clients on both US coasts, and around the world, as I have had for workers. I am not very concerned about which time zone you are in.
I prefer asynch methods, email mostly. Not because I am old, but see this posting: I have ideas that need to be elaborated on. I am verbose.
I work sorta all the time, at all hours. You don’t have to. Another reason asynch works; there’s no expectation of immediate response to most info. Timely means a few hours, or a day for the most part. We’ll schedule work time, and have methods to indicate when stuff is urgent. And I do it all now, so can certainly fill in!
Yes, but also live/synchronous working sessions regularly. Weekly at least, we’ll get on Skype or whatever, and screenshare stuff to review, work through topics, review work, etc.
I also have shared drive spaces where we store documents so there’s no emailing back and forth, I already have shared spaces for baseline info for key clients, font files to support the documents, and so on.
I super-duper speak English. Never good at other languages, and all deliverables now are US English (with minor regional variations for a couple clients) so you need to be able to work well in that.
I don’t hire people
I want to be upfront with this one. I have worked with or at too many agencies that hired people full time just to make them work 60 hours a week then fire them when the client work dried up. I don’t want to be that guy, so just like I bill my clients by the hour: you are a subcontractor. You will do work for me, but not work for me.
That means if you want to do other stuff, like keep freelance clients, or volunteer, or take the kids to the park, or just take a day off: go for it. And also, if you work extra hard, you are billing hourly so get paid more for it.
I don’t have a team now both because there was a bit of a drought (not unrelated to the pandemic) and because my previous team were all the same way, went off, got their own jobs after their experience with me.
Happy to work with you as a business or individual, but prefer to engage with an individual; I don’t want to subcontract to an actual agency of many people. I will pay for stuff like software as needed, but hoping you have a good computer, good workspace all set. Do tell what else you wonder about all the logistics and details or…
…anything. Just ping me and I’ll be happy to talk about the work, needs, payment methods, background checks, etc.